Healthy Tip 101: Do something active every day

For us working most of our time in front of the computer, something active is needed so we won't just slump in our favorite chair and dream of a life built on TV. By active I mean that we should do something productive other than slouching in your chair and waiting for the porn to download.

We should remember that our body also adapts negatively to a lack of activity. 

Ever noticed those one-pack ab you have been harboring (and hiding it by wearing the obligatory mournful black shirts) is getting bigger because you've been sitting down the whole day and even towards the evening? 

Although it is a fact that our body responds only to intense activities like gym exercises, still we need to get up and move around, that is on daily basis, so our body won't languish and rot in complete indolence. Going for a walk, or doing house chores are simple solutions to get rid of our body's inactivity. The key point there is to perspire and get rid of the toxins in a simple way.

So now that you know, get the hell out of there and start walking.

From Askmen.com-

Recent research suggests that constantly being bombarded with stimulation in the form of e-mails, tweets and the like can take its toll on your brain, leaving you fatigued, impeding the learning of new skills and consolidation of new information. To reset your mind, unplug completely at lunchtime. Yes, that means turning off your phone, too. If you're able to, head to a park or any place with greenery to feel calmer and you'll return to work with more energy.

You can tell a lot about a person's character by his way of eating jelly beans. ~Ronald Reagan

Selamat Hari Raya / Selamat Idul-Fitri / Eid al-Fitr to everyone

I hope your celebration of the end of Ramadan be full of God's blessings and cheers to begin a new life, so to speak. Peace to everyone. May God's blessings be upon us all.

My Ramadan ends with a simple feast with friends since my family is a hundred miles away. It was indeed beautiful. Thank you guys.

Simple joys

"Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do." ~Marianne Williamson

Repost: A Bisaya in Manila

[In view of the current issue with Gloria Diaz declaring that Cebuanos (I think she referred to the Visayans in general) needs an interpreter because we are not keen on the English language, I am reposting my article last July 2008 on being a Bisaya in Manila.

In fairness to all Bisaya, we know how to read and write and comprehend English the way Gloria Diaz do. This seemingly brutal way of saying that the Bisaya could not answer (in English) questions, hence we need interpreters, is brutally degrading. This comment of Diaz has been a frequent issue (she did it more than once as far as I can remember) and even bloated the idea in one of her films like Sakal Sakali Saklolo.

The issue stemmed from Venus Raj's (she's not Bisaya) not answering the question during the recent Miss Universe pageant. On the issue of the need of interpreters for our pageant contestants, Diaz said: "Kasi when you think about it, a Cebuana can hardly speak English and of course Tagalog. So maybe she should answer in Bisaya." That was caught on tape. But when people reacted on this racy slur she explained:  "This is what I said, 'People should have the right to say or to answer, not people, beauty contestants, to answer in whatever language they want to say it in. If they're Cebuanos, they can say it in Cebuano.' I did not say that they (Cebuanos) can't speak English."


Anyways, that Gloria Diaz has been considered persona non grata in Cebu.]

Being a Bisaya in Manila is one of the most embarrassing situations most Visayans would agree. Especially when the Tagalogs would make fun of our strong accent. Don’t mind Cesar Montano even if he insists he is a Boholano. He was raised in Manila.

I don’t know why most Tagalogs would make fun of our accent if the case is only to communicate.

Language sometimes is not just a barrier but a case of double jeopardy. Take the Tagalog being taught in the classrooms in our elementary years as an example. Our books taught us to use paaralan, kwaderno, datapwat, palikuran, etc., actually nonexistent terms in conversational Tagalog used only by some people in the remotest of places if not only in books. The Tagalogs do not use those terms anymore. That makes us Bisaya a laughingstock.

I could not remember my teacher correcting me when I said, Mahal na guro, pwede po bang gumamit ng papel sa aking kwaderno kasi po ako po ay pupunta sa ating palikuran? She gave me an excellent grade for that.

Not to mention of course the way the Bisaya pronounced the e as i or vice versa! Listen to a Bisaya say the word Manila. Most would say Pupunta pu ako sa Manela. I just don’t know why. Ask Annabelle Rama. She’s adept to that. Jusko day!

And the Tagalogs laughed.